deep end, cm [ 1 ]

011. the popular kids

Spencer is in the kitchen area of the bullpen and pouring sugar into his coffee mug. Jessica is a few feet away from him, already having her coffee and eating a donut.

"Easy there, tough guy. Have some coffee with your sugar." Derek teases Spencer.

"I need something to wake me up." Spencer says.

"Ooh. Late night?" Derek asks, pouring his own cup of coffee.

"Very." Spencer answers.

"My man." Derek grins. "You asked Jess out again and got right to the sexy loving, huh?" Spencer chokes on air, coughing to regain breath.

Jessica chokes on her coffee, it spurting onto her face.

"Oh, fuck!" She hisses at the hot drink on her skin. She covers her face, rushing off to the bathroom.

"Morgan." Spencer chides, frowning in concern at the brunette's retreating figure.

"Unintentional. My bad, I'll apologize." Derek says with a small laugh. "But am I right?"

"Not that kind of late night." Spencer says.

"Okay, so tell me, what does keep young Dr. Reid awake at night?" Derek asks. "Wait, let me guess. Memorizing some obscure textbook. No, no, no, no. Working on cold fusion. No, I got it, I got it. Watching Star Trek... and laughing at the physics mistakes."

"Actually, there aren't that many scientific errors in Star Trek. Especially considering how long ago it was made. There are certain improbabilities, but not that many outright errors." Spencer says.

~ ~ ~

"McCallister." JJ says, walking into the round table room with Gideon and Hotch. "Western slope of Massanutten Mountain in Virginia. Two bodies discovered in the woods." She pulls the papers from the file out, putting them on the table.

"Both with apparent blunt trauma to the head." JJ says.

"Skeletons?" Spencer asks.

"One of them. The second victim was just killed this morning." JJ says.

"How do we know there's a connection?" Elle asks.

"They were found about 75 feet apart with nearly identical head wounds." Hotch says.

"Where's the rest of the case file?" Derek asks, holding up the empty folder.

"There isn't one. The sheriffs are on the scene waiting for us." Hotch informs.

"Their location is only a half hour away by plane." JJ says.

"What's the rush?" Jessica asks.

"Well, there was evidence on the scene that could cause a bit of a public uproar." Hotch says.

"A satanic cult." Gideon says.

Jessica looks at one of the photos, seeing a red five pointed star with the words "SATAN LIVES LOD" carved into a tree.

+++

"JJ, we need to, obviously, keep this out of the press for as long as possible." Hotch says.

"I'll do what I can." She says.

"Why is that so important?" Elle asks.

"There was a nationwide scare in the 1980s involving satanic ritual killings and abuse. The Satanic Panic, it was called. It began after the publication of a book about repressed memories being recovered through hypnotherapy. Memories of growing up with devil worshippers who use children in their rituals and ceremonies." Spencer rambles.